Page 104 - July 2020

RACING NEWS
Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1
CHANCE TO EXCEL
by Tracy Gantz
Trainer Monty Arrossa has won stakes throughout the country, but he had yet to score in a million-dollar futurity until June 21 at Los Alamitos when he saddled favored Chance To Excel to capture the $1,075,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1 on Father’s Day. The conditioner dedicated the victory to his father, Pete.
“I lost my dad five years ago,” Arrossa said. “That is really what prompted me, pushed me to come to Los Alamitos. My dad always used to say that life is short. When I lost him, I decided that it was the time to come here.”
Chance To Excel is only one of the top horses in Arrossa’s care. Other 2020 graded stakes winners in his stable include Dexxter, Inaugurator, and Aint She Tempting.
Since Arrossa took over training Chance To Excel this spring, the gelding has not lost. He broke his maiden May 16 and then quali- fied the fastest for the Ed Burke Futurity in winning his trial. That set him up as the 6-5 favorite in the final with jockey Jose Nicasio.
“After we got him, we spent a lot of extra time with him at the racetrack,” said Arrossa. “He was a little bit scared of the pony horse at first. We took a lot of extra time with him at the track and at the gate.
We spent a lot of one-on-one
time with him. Just before we
ran him in the maiden race,
Jose Nicasio said, ‘This horse
has matured so much—he’s
ready.’ You never know until
it happens, but he showed he
was ready.”
When the gate opened,
Chance To Excel broke like a
shot from the inside post. The
other horses broke away from
him, leaving him alone on the
lead. Chance To Excel took
advantage, powering down the stretch to win by 3/4-length in :17.439 for 350 yards.
“I could see that they were bunched up in the middle and that we had a clear shot out
there,” said Arrossa. “I felt pretty good as we got away from the gate.”
Arrossa was very happy to win his first million-dollar futurity.
“The last couple of
years we’ve been fortu-
nate to qualify to the Ed Burke Million, the Golden State Million, and the Los Alamitos Two Million,” he said. “The best we had done was a third in the Golden State Million.”
Nicasio was complet- ing a triple of his own in million-dollar futurities. He won the Golden State Million Futurity and Los Alamitos Two Million
Futurity with J Fire Up in 2017.
“He ran an excellent race—right from the
gate he did his job,” said Nicasio. “He is an outstanding horse. He is a professional. He
Los Alamitos $1,075,000 • 350 yards :17.439 • si 99
Favorite Trick TB
Favorite Cartel
Shenoshercorona
CHANCE TO EXCEL, ‘18-g.
Separatist
Elans Last
Elans Special
102 SPEEDHORSE July 2020
Chance To Excel and jockey Jose Nicasio win the $1,075,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1 by 3/4-length.
Los Alamitos